The present-day U.S. military qualifies by any measure as highly professional, much more so than its Cold War predecessor. Yet the purpose of today’s professionals is not to preserve peace but to fight unending wars in distant places. Intoxicated by a post-Cold War belief in its own omnipotence, the United States allowed itself to be drawn into a long series of armed conflicts, almost all of them yielding unintended consequences and imposing greater than anticipated costs. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. forces have destroyed many targets and killed many people. Only rarely, however, have they succeeded in accomplishing their assigned political purposes. . . . [F]rom our present vantage point, it becomes apparent that the “Revolution of ‘89” did not initiate a new era of history. At most, the events of that year fostered various unhelpful illusions that impeded our capacity to recognize and respond to the forces of change that actually matter.

Andrew Bacevich


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

War News for Wednesday, July 04, 2012

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Monday, July 2nd. The Australian MoD is reporting that an Australian ISAF soldier was killed in a small arms fire attack in the Chorah Valley, Afghanistan.
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, July 3rd.


French troops hand over Afghan province

NATO troop supplies set to resume via Pakistan

Pakistan reopens NATO supply routes to Afghanistan after US apology

Taliban threaten to attack NATO containers

Customs receives Nato supply orders

Preston soldier dies in Afghanistan

3 Pendleton Marines Electrocuted in Afghanistan this Year


Reported security incidents
#1: An individual wearing Afghan army uniform shot and wounded five Nato soldiers in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the alliance says. The five, believed to be American, are receiving medical treatment. The extent of their injuries is not known. The attack took place at a Nato base in Wardak province, east of Kabul.

#2: At least one woman was killed and three others were injured, including a child, when their car detonated a hidden roadside bomb in southern Helmand province on Wednesday, local officials said. The incident took place in the Marjeh district of Helmand on Wednesday morning when the civilian car struck the improvised explosive device (IED) hidden in the road, provincial spokesman Daoud Ahmadi said.

#3: Up to 61 Taliban insurgents have been killed in military operations carried out by the Afghan forces and the NATO-led coalition troops within the past 24 hours, the country's Interior Ministry said on Wednesday morning. "Afghan police, army, intelligence agency and the Coalition Forces launched five joint cleanup operations in Baghlan, Jawzjan, Paktika, Kandahar and Farah provinces, killing 61 armed Taliban insurgents over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement.

#4: According to Afghan security officials, several shops were burnt after an explosion took place at 11th district of capital Kabul on Tuesday afternoon. The incident took place near Masjid-e-Kainat in Esa-e-Sewom area. A spokesman for Kabul city security chief Hashmatullah Stanekzai confirming the report said a number of shops were burnt following the incident. In the meantime reports suggest the incident took place due a gas cylinder explosion however other reports say the incident took place in Shamshad Market near Parwan Hotel.


DoD: 1st Lt. Stephen C. Prasnicki

DoD: Sgt. James L. Skalberg Jr.

DoD:  Staff Sgt. Robert A. Massarelli

DoD: Sgt. Michael J. Strachota

MoD: Warrant Officer Class 2 Leonard Thomas

MoD: Guardsman Craig Roderick

MoD: Guardsman Apete Tuisovurua

Au/MoD: Sergeant Blaine Flower Diddams

3 comments:

Cervantes said...

Hey man, I'll bet you're glad to have the AC back.

whisker said...

Yeah it wasn't a nice few days. Luckily only a few people got killed.

Cervantes said...

Well yeah, there's that.